Former major-league pitcher joins OC baseball coaching staff

Thursday, Aug 22, 2013

Former major-league pitcher David Walsh has joined OC's baseball coaching staff.

OKLAHOMA CITY (Aug. 22, 2013) – David Walsh, a former pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers who has been a longtime coach at the high school level, has joined the Oklahoma Christian baseball staff, OC head coach Lonny Cobble said Thursday.

Walsh, 52, will help fellow assistant coach Chance Stevens in guiding OC’s pitchers. Walsh spent the past 15 years as the pitching coach at Edmond Santa Fe High School, 14 of those working alongside Cobble, who is entering his second season at OC after a long run as the head coach at Santa Fe.

“I’ve known David for a long time and he will do an outstanding job with our pitchers,” Cobble said. “We have so many pitchers and having David around to work with them will help coach Stevens.”

Walsh, who grew up in southern California, played collegiately for NCAA Division I California-Santa Barbara and was a ninth-round draft choice by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1982. After eight years in the minor leagues, the Dodgers called him up to the major leagues in 1990 and he played in 20 games, going 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings.

“It was like a gift from God for me to get to play for the team I had grown up loving,” Walsh said.

Injuries ended Walsh’s career after the 1992 season. Soon after, he and his wife moved to Oklahoma, where he has taught for 20 years. In addition to coaching at OC, Walsh will continue as an English teacher at Santa Fe.

“Working with the talented people we have had at Santa Fe has been a distinct pleasure,” Walsh said. “Now I look forward to working with those who have the talent to play at the next level here at Oklahoma Christian.”

In addition to Stevens, OC’s other assistant coaches are Andrew McGuire (also a former Santa Fe assistant), Ty Weeden (a former Santa Fe and minor league player) and Manny Cervantes.